Best Jayce counters in LoL

LoL Esports

March 29, 2024

Davide Xu

If you can’t beat Jayce when playing against him in LoL, find out which are the best counters to dominate him in your next games.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Jayce counters in LoL – the top three picks

There aren’t many champions in League of Legends that can offer the level of versatility Jayce has. He deals a mix of physical and magic damage while also offering poke. In the right hands, he can be an obnoxious champion, hammering enemies left and right. For that reason, we have listed out the best Jayce counters so you know exactly how to best deal with him going forward.

If you’re fairly new to the game, check out our guide on how counter picks work in League of Legends. You will understand why counter picks are important, and how you need to take advantage of them to increase your win rate. Make sure to also understand how classes counter one another in LoL so you always know what to pick in each game.

Olaf – the evergreen counter

While melee matchups are typically at a disadvantage against a champion like Jayce, Olaf has the ability to run after him thanks to chasing potential. All you need is to hit one axe and activate Ghost to stay on top of him. Even if he tries to knock you back with his E, he won’t be able to run away. Just be careful to not get harassed before you decide to commit to the trades.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Malphite – can’t kill him

If you prefer a more passive playstyle, then Malphite might be what you’re looking for. The enemy Jayce can’t really kill you once you start stacking the armor and Malphite has enough damage to harass the enemy and get into a position to kill him with the ultimate. Wait for the right moment and you should easily win this.

Aatrox – the skill matchup

Aatrox and Jayce each have their own saying in this matchup but Aatrox has the advantage if he manages to land both W and Q. If the combo lands, Jayce’s only way of getting out is by flashing out. For Aatrox, you just need a few combos to get the upper hand. For Jayce, instead, he needs to constantly pressure the enemy laner, which makes him vulnerable.

Worst Jayce counters

Yone – the worst matchup

Jayce has a big advantage over Yone since he can take advantage of the additional range to poke the enemy champion. Yone’s trading patterns are also easy to predict and Jayce can always cast E to draw some distance between him and Yone. Even if you might not kill Yone, you should be able to get a substantial experience and gold lead to scale in the mid game.

Gwen – a bad choice

Even though Gwen does outscale Jayce very late into the game, the latter has control over the entire early-mid game. Not only can he abuse the range advantage but Gwen’s W also doesn’t work against Jayce since he can just switch into hammer form to deal additional damage. If possible, don’t play this matchup.

How do you counter Jayce with the items?

When going up against Jayce, it’s recommended to stack a mix of both armor. Below is a list of items to build you should consider, based on the class of champion you’re playing:

Bruisers: Death Dance, Warden’s Mail
AD assassins: Guardian’s Angel
ADC champions: Guardian’s Angel
AP champions: Zhonya’s Hourglass
Tanks: Warden’s Mail, Randuin’s Omen

What Champion counters Jayce?

The three best counters are Olaf, Malphite, and Aatrox. Other strong counters are Illaoi, Kled, and Gragas.

Does Irelia counter Jayce?

Irelia has a lot of mobility which can be troublesome for Jayce and his cannon form. The Ionian champion can dash on him quite easily with her combos, but she needs to make sure she can hit her E to stick onto him. It’s mostly a skill matchup but a great Irelia player should have the upper hand in the matchup.